If you have stage III breast cancer, known as locally or regionally advanced cancer, your cancer may have spread to lymph nodes near your breast — those located under your arm or by your collarbone — but not to more-distant parts of your body. Here are some examples:

The tumor is larger than 5 centimeters (2 inches), with cancer cells that have spread to your axillary lymph nodes (A).

The tumor is smaller than 5 centimeters (2 inches), but the cancer has spread into nearby lymph nodes and the nodes are growing into each other or the surrounding tissue (stroma).

The tumor is smaller than 5 centimeters (2 inches), but the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes above your collarbone (B).

Legal Conditions and Terms

Reprint Permissions

A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.